majorities disapprove of specific cuts to education, infrastructure, defense and anti-poverty programs. and just more than half oppose raising the eligibility age for social security and medicare. while both sides have proposed cuts and changes to medicare, only limited specifics have been released. >> woodruff: now, for more on what the public thinks about how the leaders are handling the negotiations and the debate over cuts to medicare, we turn to ray suarez. he begins with the pew research center poll. he talked about it a short time ago with the pew research center's andrew kohut. >> brown: andy kohut, welcome. you've been measuring public attitudes since election day. is it shifting in a way that gives president obama a stronger hand in dealing with republican leaders as we approach the fiscal cliff? >> no question. he's gotten a lot of -- he has a lot of capital with the public. his approval ratings have surged to 55%. a point of comparison, president bush in december, 2004, was at 48%. we asked people is obama trying to make a serious effort to negotiate a deal, get a deal, 55%